Blame the Moon
by MikariStar
Summary: A collection of Final Fantasy 4 and Final Fantasy 4: After Years one shots.
1. Wardrobe Malfunction

Wardrobe Malfunction

It's not that Golbez wants to dress strangely; it's just that sometimes the circumstances leave him with no choice. Who knows, he might just start a new fashion trend.

Part 1: Brothers and Their Bad Timing

Cecil this, Cecil that, quite frankly, Golbez was tired of hearing his men talk about the enemy. Kain had gone on a tangent about it too and his usual gloomy remarks of jealousy had somehow evolved into a story about how he and Cecil used to be like brothers. 'Brothers... who needs them?' Golbez grunted as he entered his private quarters. Right now all he wanted was a shower, some food and a bed. He didn't want to hear stupid stories about non-biological brothers, or any kind of brothers actually. As far as he knew, not that he actually remembered ever having any siblings; brothers were only good for borrowing one's things without permission and practicing the bad habit of needing something or other when one was busy, or sleeping, or in the shower, etcetera.

Golbez removed his heavy armor, displeased with the state of his clothing beneath it. Did he ever need a change of clothes! He rummaged through his supplies but found that he had nothing else to wear. Angry, he stomped back to the hallway and shouted, "who is in charge of the laundry?"

A frightened soldier patrolling the halls jumped and stared at the man before him, his nose discretely wrinkling at the unpleasant odor. "It's... not me... I think Golbez fired him, literally, with Firaga. Speaking of, you really shouldn't go into Golbez's quarters without permission. You seem to be very strong, but Golbez is-"

"I am Golbez and you are in charge of the laundry, go get some clothes and deliver them to this room," he ordered.

The soldier's jaw dropped and it took him a moment to react under Golbez's deadly glare. He squeaked a hurried, "yes, sir," and dashed away, muttering something or other about Cecil's hair, which he was lucky Golbez didn't quite catch as a comparison to his own.

Golbez closed the door, leaving it unlocked and removed the unpleasant clothes; one could certainly work up a sweat in such heavy armor. He went into the annexed bathroom and relished the feeling of clean water over his body. Despite his short temper most of the time, for that small moment he felt relaxed, silently thanking whoever invented soap for its great usefulness. He was applying shampoo to his hair when he heard a knock from the main door of his quarters and the faint voice of the soldier saying something about clothes. "Just leave them in the room and take the other clothes." The door opened, seconds passed and it closed again.

After Golbez was done with his hair he stayed in the shower for a while longer, just relaxing. Yet his time of rest was interrupted by the alarmed cries of soldiers saying something or other about Cecil. Golbez growled in frustration, stupid Cecil, couldn't he even stay away long enough to allow him to take a shower in peace? In a hurry, before the soldiers made a mess of things without his direction, or even worse, before Kain acted on his own, Golbez dried himself off and exited the bathroom to the main room. He found the clean clothes that had been left there, but unfortunately they didn't fit him at all. Try as he might to squeeze into them, the clothes were simply too small.

"Lord Golbez! Lord Golbez! It's Cecil!" A soldier relentlessly knocked on his door.

"I'm coming!" Golbez growled and he soon heard a squeak of fright and footsteps scurrying away on the other side of the door. Now what was he to do? The soldiers were in a frenzy and he had no one to send to get him some clothes. He couldn't exactly venture out to where such supplies were kept wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. What would his men think? Kain would surely believe him to have gone insane and what if he ran into Cecil and his friends? He would never live it down. "Stupid Cecil..."

With no other choice that he could think of, Golbez put on his armor. It was very uncomfortable to wear it like that, but there was nothing more to do.

Part 2: Pajamas

After the whole business with Zemus and Zeromus was done, discoveries were made and a semblance of acceptance was formed between the Lunarian brothers, Golbez was ready for a very long nap. He was ready to sleep off the years and wake up in a distant era where no one remembered who he had been.

"Here we are," Fusoya pointed out a suspended animation container with a glass cover. "You may sleep here. By the way, shouldn't you take off your armor now? I admit I'm curious to see your face, and besides, you can't possibly be planning to sleep in that. Sure you won't feel a think while in suspended animation, but still, you'll be quite stiff when you wake up."

Golbez removed his helmet and paused, absent mindedly running a hand through his long pale hair. He didn't even pay attention to Fusoya's expression upon seeing his face and only half heard the remark about the resemblance between him and Cecil. Honestly, other than the hair, Golbez just couldn't see it. But he wasn't dwelling on such things anyway; there was something else on his mind. Through the perils that they face, Golbez had endured, telling himself that it was not the time to think about such discomforts and he managed to throw them to the back of his mind. But now... "I can't..."

"You can't?" Fusoya wasn't sure what this was about. The old Lunarian thought that Golbez was having second thoughts about sleeping on the Lunarian Moon. "Would you prefer to join the others on the Blue Planet? I could drop you off on the Lunar Whale," he offered.

"No!" Golbez refused. "I mean, I can't take off my armor."

Fusoya tilted his head in confusion. "You can't?" He examined the joints of the metal casing. "Is it wielded together somehow?"

"No... I can take it off, it's just that..." How was Golbez supposed to explain this? It was embarrassing!

"Ah, you meant it metaphorically," Fusoya theorized, his bony hand stroking his long beard. "I would not expect you to be able to remove your personal armor so quickly, you went through a lot after all and-"

"No..." Though the old Lunarian had good intentions, Golbez just didn't feel like listening to a self esteem lecture. "What I mean is... er..."

Fusoya waited and when the silence stretched, he gently prompted, "yes?"

"I have nothing else to wear," Golbez finally confessed with a good measure of embarrassment.

"Oh, well you don't need armor here, it's not like any battles are expected to happen," Fusoya didn't quite understand.

"I know but..." Golbez looked away from Fusoya and at the suspended animation case, his own face and Fusoya's vaguely reflected on the glass. "Sleeping naked under glass isn't exactly something I'm comfortable with."

Finally understanding the true meaning of Golbez's words, Fusoya could only voice a quiet, "oh." He wondered how Golbez managed to get around in that heavy armor like that; he would guess it's quite uncomfortable. "Well... Let me see what I can find for you to wear." Unfortunately, there wasn't really all that much Fusoya could find.

Part 3: Lunarian Dress Code

After a visit to Mount Ordeals and the announcement of his decision to return to the Lunarian Moon, Golbez left. Sometime after his uncle had left, Ceodore curiously approached his father with a question that returned to his thoughts after he had pushed it to the back of his mind, when there were more important things to think about. "Father..."

"Yes?" Cecil replied as the two made their way down the Baron Castle hallways. Ceodore was to leave on a mission with the Red Wings in a few hours, under the guidance of their new captain, Kain.

"I didn't ask anything before because there were more important things going on," Ceodore began with an explanation. "Besides, I didn't want to sound rude."

Curious about what his son's inquiry could be, Cecil prompted, "what is it?"

"About Golbez..." Ceodore shyly began, wondering if it was even right of him to question such things that, for all he knew, were well beyond his understanding.

Cecil prepared himself for a long and complex conversation. He paused his walk next to a window in the hallway and turned to face his son, rather than walking next to him. "Yes?"

The question that left Ceodore's mouth was not what Cecil was expecting. "Do all Lunarians dress like that?"

"Wha..." Cecil's mouth hung open. There he was, ready to answer his son's questions as best he could and tell him all about the complex past relationship with his brother and how they came to terms with each other, then Ceodore's question turned out to be so simple. It caught Cecil completely off guard and made him think. Fusoya didn't dress like Golbez, though his long flowing white robes were as big as sheets, so maybe wearing sheets wrapped around themselves was the traditional Lunarian dress code. Cecil finally managed to close his mouth, organize his thoughts, then voice a somewhat acceptable answer to his son's curious eyes. Appealing to something Rosa had taught the boy, Cecil replied with a question of his own. "What has your mother taught you about other cultures?"

Ceodore thought for a moment until the answer emerged from his memories and he obediently recited it. "That we must be respectful and open minded."

Cecil nodded in satisfaction, "very good." He didn't elaborate any further as he thought that basic lesson should be enough. Besides, he didn't actually have the proper information to give a full answer anyway.

The king and prince resumed their walk in silence for a few seconds until once again, Ceodore spoke up. "Father?"

"Yes, Ceodore?" Cecil didn't expect any hard questions in that occasion, as his son's tone was relaxed, a slight smile upon his youthful face that made Cecil smile back.

Ceodore's features reached a full smile as he inquired. "Since I have Lunarian heritage and all, can I dress like that sometime? In the summer, when it's hot?"

Once again Cecil opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. Honestly, it might not look so good for a prince to be running around barefoot, shirtless and also pantless for that matter, with nothing but a sheet wrapped around his waist and another used as a cape. But if he said no, then that would contradict Rosa's valuable lesson that Cecil had just reminded him of and he had always tried to teach his son to be proud of his roots.

Ceodore continued to smile, "can I, father?"

"O-of course," Cecil finally replied. Well, why not? The monks of Fabul ran around shirtless all the time anyway, though they at least wore pants and shoes. But being open minded and respectful of different cultures was important for any person, more so for a prince. He couldn't tell his son to be that way and then contradict the lesson by forbidding him from publicly embracing his Lunarian heritage. Now he just had to explain it to Rosa.

Part 4: Fan Girls

Golbez ducked into the main building of Mysidia in a hurry. Ceodore dashed in after him, wondering what had his uncle in such a rush. "Is everything alright?" The young prince asked.

"Maybe I shouldn't be here on this planet..." Golbez stated, his face downcast.

"But you just arrived!" Ceodore was quick to argue.

After spending some time at the Lunarian Moon and making sure that everything was alright, Golbez had returned to the Blue Planet to calm an irresistible urge to see his brother and his family again. He was very curious about how they were all doing and Fusoya wouldn't stop mentioning how they must be ever so worried about the way he left, not being able to tell them if the Lunarian Moon had survived or not. "They know who I am," Golbez grimaced.

"Who does?" Porom curiously inquired, joining the conversation as she entered the main room. "By the way, welcome to Mysidia. I wasn't expecting visitors today, but please allow me to show you our hospitality."

"Thank you, but we're not here to stay for long," Ceodore replied, returning Porom's smile. "We have a lot of places to visit before we head back to Baron for a reunion celebration. You, Palom and Leonora will come, right?"

"I would love to and I'm sure Palom and Leonora will be all too happy to go too," Porom replied. While Ceodore disclosed the details concerning the celebration, Porom took a moment to notice how quiet and uneasy Golbez was. She also wondered about the conversation she walked into before. "Golbez, is everything alright?"

Golbez shook his head wearily. "Maybe I should just leave; it's obvious that I'm making people uneasy. Just outside, some mages were staring and whispering among themselves. I could feel a wave of something similar to unrest coming from them."

"Oh..." Porom was taken by surprise. She didn't expect anyone to even recognize Golbez. "I'm sure we can work things out, please don't leave."

Palom suddenly entered the building, loudly asking, "where is he?" In a very accusing tone. He looked at the uneasy Golbez and blinked in realization, "it's you."

"You see?" Golbez pointed out, getting the wrong impression. "I'm making people uneasy, they complained to you, didn't they, Palom?"

"Not really," Palom admitted. "The girls were talking about some guy and it wasn't the great Sage Palom, so I came to investigate who the suspicious individual was."

Porom rolled her eyes at Palom, "so that's how it is, and by the way Palom, you're not a Sage yet."

"They're scared..." Golbez frowned. It wasn't his intention to frighten anyone.

"Scared?" Palom echoed in disbelief. "More like scary!" The door opened and closed at the moment, with someone quietly entering the area and standing to the side in silence, not wishing to interrupt. "Listen," Palom placed his hand on Golbez's shoulder as if giving advice to someone who was younger and more inexperienced than himself. "Trust me on this, after all I am a great Sage," Porom gave him a look. "A great future Sage," Palom amended. "The point is that stuff like that gets attention from girls, lots of attention, so I know what I'm talking about. What you need to do is-" a soft clearing of the throat and a cold chill running down his spine made Palom fall silent and turn around slowly. "Hi Leonora, when did you get here?" He smiled innocently.

"I was just..." Leonora shied away and backed out towards the door. "I was just leaving." Though she wasn't as clear in showing it as his sister, Palom knew that Leonora was upset and that one way or another, if he didn't make it up to her, he would suffer the consequences. "Wait, Leonora!" He rushed out the door.

Porom sighed, "pay no attention to him," she advised Golbez. "And trust me; the girls are not afraid of you. They are simply curious. Why don't I introduce you to them?"

"Are you sure they don't hate me?" Golbez fidgeted.

"Oh no, not at all," Porom smiled reassuringly.

Ceodore got a strange feeling from her, something akin to a rare kind of sadism that was unlike anything his senses had picked up before. He didn't know why, but he felt like Porom was throwing Golbez to the wolves so to speak. Maybe this was that scary feeling girls gave off that Palom had warned him about.

Part 5: Influence

"Young lady!" Sheila's disapproving voice reached across the throne room of Fabul Castle and penetrated into Ursula's ears as the princess froze near the door and, with lightning speed, turned to face her mother. With her trusty ladle already on hand, Sheila approached her daughter and pointed out her attire. "Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

Ursula's eyes never left the ladle as she replied, ready to dodge the kitchen appliance at any moment, should her mother choose to go on the attack. "To Baron, I was planning to go early so I could help out with the upcoming celebration. You and father said it was okay, remember?" She appealed to the conversation from a few days ago.

Sheila waved her ladle in the air, but not yet took a swing at Ursula, wanting to hear the full explanation first. "Dressed like that?" She emphasized the main part of the question.

Ursula self consciously tugged on the fabric wrapped over her chest, tied on the back, yet her eyes were still on the ladle. "It's traditional Lunarian attire," Ursula pointed out, hoping that her mother would believe her, it was after all, as far as she knew, the truth.

"Oh?" Sheila raised a curious eyebrow and tilted her head to the side in perplexity. Her daughter had never been in the habit of lying and she couldn't imagine her starting now.

Seeing that she was starting to reason with her mother and the threatening swinging of the ladle had ceased, Ursula elaborated. "It's true; Ceodore told me all about it. This is how Lunarians dress," or at least it was how she interpreted them to dress from Ceodore's descriptions. She had seen him wearing attire similar to Golbez when he stopped by when the Red Wings flew over Fabul. Yang and Sheila had been away on some official duty, leaving Ursula and the advisors to watch over Fabul for a few days.

It was then when Ursula had curiously struck up a conversation with Ceodore and he explained the origin of what he was wearing. "Do Lunarian girls dress like that too?" Ursula had curiously asked.

Ceodore wasn't sure, but he would imagine they did. "Of course, just in a more... um... feminine style, but very similar."

The clothes looked very comfortable and Ursula was inclined to try to wear something like that during the hot summer days when the training sessions felt longer for each article of clothing one wore. As for the more feminine style of the Luniarian female attire, Ursula combined logic with imagination to figure that out. She added the bra-like wrap over her chest and made the wrap around her waist a little shorter.

"Well," Sheila finally voiced, lowering her ladle in acceptance. "If it is to show our fellowship and support to Baron by embracing Lunarian culture, I guess it's alright. Have fun at Baron, your father and I will be there on time for the celebration."

"I will!" Ursula cheerfully dashed out of the throne room.

A few minutes later, Ursula stopped at the training grounds in front of Fabul Castle, where she greeted her father formally. "Master Yang, I will be on my way to Baron now."

"Dressed like that?" Yang frowned in disapproval. He could allow her to wear such clothing for her own personal training and for private lessons if she felt more comfortable like that, but not to train with the other monks and very much less on a trip to another country.

"It's traditional Lunarian attire," Ursula explained. "This way I'll be showing our fellowship and support to Baron by embracing Lunarian culture, mother said so."

"Oh..." and because Yang never dared to question his kitchen appliance wielding wife, without further protests, he gave his apprentice his well wishes and sent her on her way.

Epilogue

After the celebrations at Baron that served as a reunion party for the heroes of the old and new moon adventures, as well as a general celebration in appreciation of Lunarian culture, the peculiar way of dress that begun with Golbez became all the rage in the summer time. Eventually, the attire was adopted into the culture of the Blue Planet and modified for their convenience, which eventually let to the invention of swimsuits, a type of attire commonly used during the summer time at the beach. Thus another page in the book of evolution was recorded by the ever watchful crystals.

End

Disclaimer, I don't own Final Fantasy 4 or After Years.

I couldn't help it; I just had to pick on Golbez, he seems like he would be so fun to tease. XD

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	2. Monk and Paladin

On break from the Red Wings, Ceodore visits Fabul and Ursula is glad to welcome him. It was supposed to be a time to relax, until they make an alarming discovery and find that danger is closer than they imagined. Light Ceodore x Ursula.

Monk and Paladin

As Ursula and Ceodore exited the Fabul Castle, they noticed Yang and a few monks talking with Palom. Curious about his unexpected visit, they hurried to catch up with them before the group left. "Palom!" Ceodore called out.

The Sage in training looked back with a smile at the son of Cecil and Rosa, noticing Yang's daughter was with him. "Hey Ceodore, Ursula."

"I wasn't expecting another visitor, but you know you're always welcomed in Fabul," Ursula greeted.

"Thanks, but I'm afraid I'm only here on official business, I'll have to report back to Mysidia soon after," Palom revealed.

The Mage's word's filled Ursula and Ceodore with curiosity, "What do you mean?" The Baron prince inquired.

"I'm here to catch a thief that ran off from Mysidia with a treasure that had been kept there for many years. We suspect that he's hiding in the mountains, I didn't see him when I went through, but I thought maybe the monks of Fabul could help make a wider search party." Palom explained.

"Let us help," Ursula offered.

Yang shook his head, "Ursula, you've been working hard and you've earned this break. Besides, Ceodore has come to visit, you should consider entertaining our guest. I'll take care of business on my own this time."

"But Master Yang, this matter concerns me too," Ursula insisted. "Besides, I'm sure Ceodore won't mind."

"Not at all," Ceodore agreed. "In fact, I want to go too. I may be on break, but I'm still a Red Wing and I can't ignore this."

Yang laughed with the sound of pride in his voice. "Such dutiful youths, but really, you don't need to worry. This isn't a big battle we're up against, just a search for a thief. I already have enough monks coming along, we'll be able to comb every inch of the mountains. However, what if something were to happen while we were away? It's best if you two stay close to the castle."

Ursula mused on it for a moment before finally accepting the logic behind her father's words. "That does make sense, if so many monks are going to participate in the search, I suppose we can't very well leave the castle unprotected." Not that she was expecting anything to happen anyway. She still wanted to go, but she couldn't deny the logic presented to her. "Very well, Master Yang, we'll take care of things here."

"I'll be counting on you," Yang nodded, "we'll hopefully track down this thief soon and be back in a short while. Alright everyone, let's go!" Yang, Palom and the Fabul monks marched off towards the mountains west of the castle.

After they were gone, Ursula resumed what she had been telling Ceodore before the encounter. "About the Sylph, she has made her home in a hallow tree east of the castle. She said she was curious about the human world and wanted to explore. We invited her to come to the castle but she's still a bit shy around most humans. I think she finally trusts me though, so I'll probably be able to coax her into coming out to say hi. It's pretty close by, so we're technically still close enough to the castle, not that I'm actually expecting anything to happen."

"Sounds interesting, I haven't seen Sylphs up close before, only from afar." Ceodore replied as the pair walked out of the castle towards the tree where they expected to find the Sylph.

xoxox xox xoxox

After some walking, Ursula and Ceodore made it to the hollow tree. "Sylph, it's Ursula!" The Fabul princess cheerfully called out. Time passed and there was no answer. "C'mon, Sylph, don't be shy, Ceodore is a very good friend of mine, you can trust him." Ursula waited a little longer before curiously approaching the three. "That's odd, I was sure I sense her presence here." She peeked into the hallow three from an opening on its side and gasped. "Ceodore!"

The Baron prince rushed to her side, wondering what her sudden alarm was about. "What is it?" His question needed no answer, as Ursula pulled out the injured Sylph from the tree, cradling the tiny creature in her hands. The Sylph's short breaths were ragged and labored, her small body shivering and growing cold. Ceodore didn't know who was to blame for this, but he thought it was very cruel. He immediately began to chant a white magic spell to heal the Sylph, his stream of words ending in "Curaga!" Power was projected out from the palms of his hands in a iridescent light that effulged the small Sylph in prism waves. Yet nothing happened, it was as if the magic only flowed along the surface of her body and was not absorbed. "She... She's so far gone she's not absorbing the magic," Ceodore gasped. Looking at the poor injured Sylph he couldn't bear the thought of her innocent life being lost. "But I'm not giving up!"

"Her energy... Her chi... Maybe I can help make it flow and absorb your healing magic," Ursula theorized.

Ceodore nodded, "it's worth a try." He began to chant the Curaga spell again, while Ursula concentrated in Chakra. He finally finished the chant, releasing the magic that this time was absorbed by the Sylph.

The Sylph opened her eyes and recognized Yang's daughter, "Ursula? You saved me, thank you..."

"Not by myself," Ursula gave the small creature a relieved smile as she sat up on the palm of her hand. "I couldn't have healed you without Ceodore's powerful white magic."

"Ceodore..." the Sylph looked at the young man, "thank you. You're a good person; I know I can trust you like I trust Yang and his family."

Ceodore smiled, "you sure can." His expression became more serious as he asked, "who did this?"

The Sylph frowned. "I don't know his name, but it was a man who had a very disturbing presence. He was saying something about releasing a seal using my life energy."

"A seal?" Ursula thought aloud. "That certainly sounds suspicious, but I have no clue about what it could mean."

"Same here," Ceodore added. "Maybe the culprit is still near by; it couldn't have been that long since he left."

"Right, we should investigate the woods on the south east. It's a little out of the way, but I can think of no other place where someone would hide in this area aside from there and the mountains to the west. If he's in the mountains, he'll be found, but if he's in the woods, well, we can't let him escape," Ursula decided.

"I'm with you; we'll find that criminal and apprehend him!" Ceodore declared.

Ursula looked at the small Sylph, who was, understandably, still shaken from the whole ordeal. "We'll take you to the castle, I know you're still shy around humans you're not familiar with, but you'll be safe there. Don't worry, my mother is there and I'm sure she'll be happy to keep you company." The Fabul princess gave the little Sylph a reassuring smile.

The Sylph nodded shyly. "Alright, if it's with your mother, I don't mind being at the castle."

xoxox xox xoxox

With a quick trip back to the castle, the Sylph was left in Sheila's care. The Fabul queen didn't offer many protests towards Ursula and Ceodore's eagerness to hurry off in a hunt for the culprit. It was important that he was caught and in their rush neither Ursula nor Ceodore had mentioned anything about the suspicious talk about a seal.

Seeing as Sylphs were so tiny and physically fragile, enough so that they very rarely ventured out of the Feymarch alone, Sheila thought that even an ordinary man of average skill could, if he managed to surprise and catch a Sylph, easily injure it. Sheila knew that Ursula and Ceodore were not of average strength, far from it, their talents in both battle and healing, combined with their speed and unbreakable determination, would surely be enough to apprehend the criminal. Even so, albeit it seemed to make no sense, Sheila couldn't help it but to worry.

xoxox xox xoxox

During that time, Yang, Palom and the monks had ventured into the mountains west of Fabul. They split up to search and found no traced of anything suspicious. They regrouped and discussed their findings, or lack there of. "He's a slippery one," Palom frowned.

"What exactly was it that he stole?" Yang inquired. He had agreed to help recover Mysidia's treasure, but did not know what it was. They had merely been searching for anything that stood out in the mountains, but had found not a single traveler there, let alone anyone who looked like a hiding thief. Save for themselves and the monsters native to the area, there was no one else there.

"It was an old magical suit of armor. It had four sword wielding arms, the extra pair being magically animated by the armor. It is also said to grant power in the casting of Firaga, Blizzaga and Thundaga, at the cost of the wearer becoming Berserk," Palom explained. "But that was a long time ago, before I was even born. The armor was considered too dangerous and its power was sealed away as it couldn't be destroyed at the time. It should have become weaker over the years, but still pretty hard to destroy. Either way, it would take an exceptionally skilled Sage to break the seal, a feat that is certainly beyond the abilities of the frustrated Black Mage that stole it. Mysidia's Elder could think of no one aside from Tellah or an Eidolon who would be able to break the seal, so the armor should be in no real danger of becoming active. Regardless, the Elder wants to recover the armor as soon as possible. Our opponent isn't strong and the armor is useless right now, I could easily knock him out by myself if I could just manage to find him. Even so, if he manages to get enough Mages together to help him, they might be able to eventually weaken the seal."

"I see, then it is best to settle this matter as soon as possible, so that the unlikely possibility of it becoming a big danger doesn't come true," Yang concluded.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Ursula and Ceodore had made it to the woods south east of Fabul and were investigating. They heard some unnatural noises and the creatures of the forest dashed past them in fright. Something like that definitely screamed suspicious. They dashed in the opposite direction and came to the source of the problem. There was someone wearing an odd suit of black armor. It had four arms, holding a sword in each hand. The air around the being was chilly, yet sparks of electricity and fire swirled around him.

"Destroy!" The armored being screamed as if he had gone berserk. "Destroy!" Two orbs focused on the tip of the swords on his lower left and right arms, blue and red in color. The orbs burst with the massive attacks of Black Magic in the form of Firaga and Blizzaga. The opposing elements swirled around Ceodore and Ursula making the pain unbearable. Before they could recover, two additional orbs, both yellow in color, appeared on the end of the swords held in the upper arms of the armor. The orbs flew above the being's head as he let out an echoing cry of, "Destroy!" Having fallen completely under the accursed armor's control. The two yellow orbs collided in a massive blast of electricity that assaulted the already injured Ceodore and Ursula. The pair of young warriors fell on the grass, beaten and hardly able to breathe as their strong opponent's insane howls continued.

xoxox xox xoxox

Back at Fabul Castle, Yang, Palom and the monks arrived. They had searched the mountain inside out and found nothing, finally concluding that the thief must have slipped out of the area where he was suspected to have been hiding. They entered the throne room to have a meeting and discuss their next possible action. Yang was surprised to find Sheila in the company of a Sylph. "Yang!" The Sylph greeted, obviously glad to see him.

"Hello there my friend," Yang smiled at the little Sylph. "I'm glad you decided to come into the castle."

"It's not as simple as that I'm afraid," Sheila informed with a serious face. "She was attacked and badly injured, but fortunately, Ursula and Ceodore found her just in time."

The Sylph nodded, "it's true, I thought I would die, but they saved me and brought me to the castle where it's safe. I've been here with Sheila since. Ursula and Ceodore went to find the man who attacked me."

"How terrible, who would attack a peaceful creature like a Sylph and what could be gained of such cruelty?" Yang exclaimed.

"I don't know," the Sylph frowned. "Maybe he just hates Eidolons or something. He did say something about my life force and a seal, but I don't really understand."

A deadly silence overtook the throne room as Palom's eyes went wide. "That man, did he have shaggy black hair and a dark expression on his face with a twisted scowl?"

"Yes, his face was very scary." The Sylph shuddered at the image in her painful memories.

"Oh, oh..." Palom grimaced.

"The seal... An Eidolon..." Yang put the pieces together according to Palom's explanations from earlier. "Could it be?"

"It could," Palom admitted, considering the circumstances further. "Maybe it wasn't just the armor, but also the seal that was weakened in time and the Eidolon's life might not have been needed to be a complete sacrifice for it to be broken. It's not a sure thing, but it's a possibility and if that's the case, this is more serious than I thought."

"You mean this isn't just an abusive bandit Ursula and Ceodore might be up against?" Sheila worried.

Yang didn't like this at all, "we better find them."

"Bring them back safely," Sheila ordered more so than asked. "And don't be late for dinner."

xoxox xox xoxox

In the small forest south east of Fabul, Ursula opened her eyes, tilting her head to the side to where Ceodore lay. Even that tiny motion hurt and she found herself unable to even try to get up. "Ceo... dore..."

Ceodore returned Ursula's gaze, seeing the concern in her eyes. He thought it was ironic that she was injured just as badly as him and yet she somehow managed to focus her concern on him. It was ironic indeed, yet somehow sweet. "Ur... sula..." It couldn't end like this, he couldn't let down his parents, his captain, his country, the world and he especially couldn't disappoint Ursula who had been his trusted childhood friend for as long as he could remember. No, he couldn't let her down, not Ursula whom he had always admired, not allowing the pressure of her noble roots and her father's role in the world keep her down. She wouldn't fall like this, not someone as brave, strong and caring as Ursula, he wouldn't allow it.

He felt the power of his Lunarian heritage course through him. Awakening to the power buried deep within, Ceodore somehow found the strength to stand up. The armor attacked again and three orbs, blue, red and yellow respectively, floated up and collided in a massive display of power that threatened to end their lives. The chant came naturally and speedily to Ceodore's lips, he spoke it without even thinking of it, like a reflex of survival. "Reflect!" Pushing his power beyond the limits, Ceodore somehow managed to coat both Ursula and himself in the curtain of light that protected them and saved them from an untimely death.

The combined force of the spells bounced off the magical shield and returned to the caster, hitting the suit of armor with heavy damage. He dropped his swords as he was thrown several feet back and took a moment to manage to stand up again.

Ceodore fell to his knees in exhaustion. He felt like his very life was sucked right out of him from the strain of the great effort he just underwent, but the battle wasn't over yet. Ursula managed to half crawl to him, focusing her energy on his with her Chakra. Ceodore close his eyes and allowed Ursula's chi to course through him and soothe his senses. He heard movement and opened his eyes to see the armored being getting up and going to pick up the swords, yet neither he nor Ursula were in any conditions to fight.

Ceodore began to chant another spell, one he was yet to master before, but it was the only spell that could work in their situation. He felt Ursula go limp, she had given him her energy and she needed to be healed. "Curaja!" The flow of white magic coated them in a bright prism light that shimmered with all the power Ceodore could muster. When the curtain of light gave way, the two young warriors stood side by side, ready to fight. Ceodore pointed his own sword at the armored foe, who had already picked up all four of his swords, while Ursula held her claws at the ready. They looked to each other and nodded then went on the attack simultaneously.

The clank of metal against metal was heard. The armored being was Berserk, but it wasn't entirely stupid. He could see the glow that clung to the two young warriors and knew that another magical attack would have the same adverse effect as before, so instead he focused on attacking with his swords. Ceodore and Ursula managed to dodge the swings or block with their own weapons, but when they did manage to get some hits in, they were not very effective. They both stepped back with defensive stances, staring down their opponent as if searching for an opening.

"We're not making much progress, but I'm sure that armor has a weak point. I could try to find it with Tenketsu, but..." The armored foe went on the attack again and once more the princess and prince were locked in a fierce combat that was not in their favor.

At the next break in the battle, Ceodore tried to formulate a strategy. He started out by casting another spell on Ursula, "Protect! That should give you some added defense just in case. Use your Tenketsu technique; I'll cover you so you can get close enough."

"Right!" They rushed forward again, with Ursula focusing more so on getting closer and finding a weak point, sensing the flow of energy in the armor, which was a source of power in itself. At the same time Ceodore deflected any attacks directed at Ursula or himself, until once again, they jumped back in unison, as if connected by a silent communication that only they understood. "Found it," Ursula announced. "This is a very strong opponent, it's not really a single weak point per se, but several points that are not as strong as the rest of the armor. If we strike each of them with sufficient force, the true weak point will be revealed."

The pair charged their enemy again, with Ursula striking several specific points in the armor with her claws and Ceodore following her motions with his sword. Finally, Ursula could sense it, the true weak point had been revealed. "It's there!" She struck the spot in the center of the armor's chest. "But he's strong, so it's going to take more than a few hits."

"Let's hit him at the same time!" Ceodore called out. In perfect synchronization, Ceodore and Ursula went on the attack, dodging and blocking the four swords that were swung madly at them and hit the hidden weak point with all their might, once, twice and three times. Finally, after some more consecutive hits, the armor cracked. One more simultaneous hit finished the job and the crack gave way, the armor breaking into pieces that, upon losing their power, dissolved into dust, which was reduced into nothingness.

The man who had so foolishly become obsessed with power and nearly killed the innocent Sylph to release it, collapsed unconscious, now that he was finally free from the terrifying power of the armor. Exhausted and sore, Ceodore and Ursula shared a victorious smile, before their senses picked up the presence of more than one person watching them. With their adrenaline still on high, they turned with stances of defense, ready to put up quite a fight should the need arise.

"Woah! Easy, it's just us!" Palom exclaimed.

Ceodore and Ursula relaxed, their breaths still fast, feeding air into their thirsty lungs. "When did you get here?" Ceodore curiously inquired.

"Just now," Palom revealed.

"We were too late for the battle, but we made it just in time to see that final blow," Yang elaborated. "Your team work was simply amazing."

"And it looks like the situation is solved. That armor was better off being destroyed and this guy won't be causing any more trouble for a long time. He has a lot to answer for to the Elder. Great work you two," Palom commended as well.

"It was our duty," Ursula began. "For the monks of Fabul..."

"And for the Red Wings," Ceodore finished.

"Well done," Yang commended in proud acknowledgement. "I'd say you both earned a good meal back at the castle. And though we didn't actually participate in the battle, all that running around has made me hungry too. Palom, you'll join us right?"

"I never turn away good food," Palom grinned.

"Great, I'm sure Sheila has prepared a fine dinner by now and you know how she gets when we're late," Yang reminded.

"We better not keep her waiting then," Ursula agreed.

xoxox xox xoxox

Thus the group headed back to Fabul Castle, with the monks carrying their relatively healthy, but still fainted, arrested prisoner along to be safeguarded at the castle until he was transported to face his trial at Mysidia. Soon the monks went on ahead, followed by Ursula and Ceodore and a little way back were Yang and Palom. Yang smiled with nostalgia as he quietly observed Ursula and Ceodore talking as they walked to the castle, crediting each other for the victory that belong to both.

"We wouldn't have been able to win if you haven't found that armor's weak point," Ceodore stated.

"And I wouldn't have had the chance to find it, or even fight at all, if you haven't protected us from its magic and healed us," Ursula reminded.

"I was only able to heal us because you gave me strength." Ceodore admitted, realizing a moment too late that he sounded kind of cheesy. But this was Ursula, his trusted friend in which he had been confiding for as long as he could remember, so maybe it was okay.

Ursula let out a small laugh, "we make a pretty good team, don't we?"

"We sure do," Ceodore happily agreed.

Yang let out an uncharacteristic wistful sigh, which did not go unnoticed by Palom. "What's on your mind?" The Mage inquired with curiosity.

"I was just remembering when I met Sheila, I'll never forget the feeling of her frying pan on my head for the first time," Yang let out a content breath.

The monk king's reply only reaffirmed Palom's belief that women were very scary creatures. "I see..." He muttered unsure.

"They make quite a team, those two," Yang continued, obviously referring to Ursula and Ceodore. "Ceodore is an honorable young man, determined, dedicated and thoughtful," he nodded to himself.

"Sounds like you approve of him," Palom observed. "But it doesn't look like they are even aware of how close they are."

Yang couldn't deny that fact. "Maybe it's because they've had that connection for such a long time that it's become very natural to them. But I'm sure they'll notice how singular it is eventually." Yang smiled as Fabul Castle became ever closer, they were almost there, walking at a somewhat leisure pace. "There's no need to rush, I'm sure that everything will fall into place in due time..."

Ursula and Ceodore stopped at the front gate of Fabul Castle and looked back at Yang and Palom. "Master Yang, Palom! We'd best hurry if we don't want to be late for dinner!" She reminded.

"We're coming!" Palom called back and started running towards them.

Ursula gave her father and martial arts master a curious look, wondering what he had been discussing with Palom back there. Ceodore stood next to her, waiting for the pair to catch up to the gates, the two of them forming a perfectly fitting picture just by standing next to each other. Yang smiled and finished the trek to the Fabul Castle gates walking at a normal pace. 'Truly, there is no need to rush through life...' Yang paused and took in the cheerful image of Ursula and Ceodore playfully teasing Palom for being out of breath after such a short run. "Moments like these," Yang voiced, seemingly out of the blue, "are definitely worth enjoying..." Then they strode into the castle where a delicious dinner awaited them in good company.

End

Disclaimer, I don't own Final Fantasy IV: After Years.

This idea started with the concept of Ceodore and Ursula teaming up to fight against something. So that's what I thought of first, the battle scene and the abilities they would use. It was also inspired by the scene in the last chapter of After Year where Ursula and Ceodore talk at one of the camps at the final dungeon. She seemed to have an understanding of how he felt and he was pretty open with her.


End file.
